Photo: Jase The Bass / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Calling hide just a "guitarist" honestly feels like an insult to me. The guy walked around with flaming red hair, draped in pink, looking like a beautiful alien who'd crash-landed in Yokosuka, and somehow made it look effortlessly cool instead of costume-y. That's the trick nobody else could pull off. And here's what gets me: under all that flash, he wrote songs like PINK SPIDER that hit with this aching, full-throttle rush. He shredded with X JAPAN, then went and picked a fight with the whole world solo and with zilch, fearless to the end. He left us way too soon at 33 back in '98, but somewhere there's always a fan in a tiny club still buzzing about the red-haired alien. That's the real legacy, and what a gift it was.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
Story
The Alien with the Red Hair: hide and the 33-Year Flash from Yokosuka to the World
Overview
hide (born Hideto Matsumoto on December 13, 1964, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa) was a Japanese rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of X JAPAN. After joining X in 1987 at the invitation of YOSHIKI, he rose to prominence with the band's major debut and went on to launch a successful solo career in 1993, with his second solo album PSYENCE topping the Oricon chart in 1996. He also formed the international band zilch and continued recording under the unit hide with Spread Beaver until his death on May 2, 1998, at the age of 33.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- hide (Hideto Matsumoto)
- Name (Japanese)
- hide
- Reading
- ひで
- Real name
- 松本秀人
- Born
- December 13, 1964 – May 2, 1998
- Origin
- Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
- Height
- 170 cm
- Occupation
- Rock musician / Guitarist / Singer / Songwriter / Music producer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dragon
- Blood type
- AB
- Agency
- Universal Music (estate management)
- Agency history
- Extasy Records (X era)
- Active years
- 1981–1998
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Yokosuka Municipal Tado Elementary School
- Junior high
- Yokosuka Municipal Tokiwa Junior High School
- High school
- Zushi Kaisei High School
- University
- Hollywood Beauty College (graduated)
- Debut
- Joined X (later X JAPAN) in 1987; solo debut in August 1993 with two simultaneous single releases
Awards & achievements
- 1990 4th Japan Gold Disc Award — Grand Prix New Artist of the Year (as X)
- 1998 MTV Video Music Awards — International Viewer's Choice Japan (PINK SPIDER music video)
Timeline
- 1964Born on December 13 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa
- 1981Formed the band SABER TIGER (later SAVER TIGER) while in high school
- 1987Joined X (X JAPAN) as lead guitarist at the invitation of YOSHIKI after SAVER TIGER disbanded
- 1989Made major debut with X JAPAN; first major album BLUE BLOOD released
- 1993Solo debut with simultaneous release of singles EYES LOVE YOU and 50%&50%
- 1994Released solo debut album HIDE YOUR FACE, which reached number one on the Oricon chart
- 1996Released solo second album PSYENCE; formed international band zilch
- 1997X JAPAN disbanded; continued activities as hide with Spread Beaver
- 1998Released single ROCKET DIVE in January; died on May 2 at age 33
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Unmarried
- Siblings
- Younger brother Hiroshi Matsumoto (served as his manager)
4. Personality
Hobbies
- Guitar collecting
- Beauty and fashion
Specialties
- Guitar
- Drums
- Bass
- Composition and arrangement
5. Works & records
Works summary
- Appearances
- 216 (1993–2026)
- By year (titles with a known year)
- 1993: 1, 1994: 4, 1996: 3, 1997: 7, 1998: 2, 1999: 3, 2000: 7, 2001: 7, 2002: 4, 2004: 1, 2005: 2, 2006: 2, 2007: 6, 2008: 3, 2009: 2, 2010: 1, 2011: 1, 2013: 6, 2014: 1, 2015: 1, 2018: 1, 2024: 1, 2026: 4, year unknown: 146
- Debut work
- Seth et Holth
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album | BLUE BLOOD (X JAPAN) | Guitar, songwriting | 1989 |
| Album | Jealousy (X JAPAN) | Guitar, songwriting | 1991 |
| Album | HIDE YOUR FACE | Solo album — all instruments, lyrics and composition | 1994 |
| Album | PSYENCE | Solo album — lyrics and composition | 1996 |
| Single | ROCKET DIVE | hide with Spread Beaver | 1998 |
| Single | PINK SPIDER | hide with Spread Beaver | 1998 |
| Album | 3・2・1 (zilch) | Vocals, guitar, composition | 1998 |
| Song | Kurenai (X JAPAN) | Guitar, co-composition | 1989 |
| Song | TELL ME (solo) | Lyrics, composition, vocals | 1997 |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.hide-city.com/
- Xhttps://x.com/hideofficial_20
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hide_(musician)
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/hide
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44315
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was hide born?
hide was born on December 13, 1964.
When did hide die?
hide died on May 2, 1998, aged 33.
Where was hide from?
hide was from Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
What did hide do?
hide worked as Rock musician, Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Music producer.
How tall was hide?
hide was 170 cm tall.
What was hide's blood type?
hide's blood type was AB.
Where did hide study?
hide attended Hollywood Beauty College.
What agency was hide with?
hide was with Universal Music (estate management).
When was hide active?
hide was active from 1981 to 1998.
What was hide known for?
hide's notable works include BLUE BLOOD (X JAPAN), Jealousy (X JAPAN), HIDE YOUR FACE.
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